For the first time since intake, every Crew member came outside.

Even though we’d looked at the picture-perfect garden every day, strangely I’d never thought about wanting to go out. But not by my will—by someone else’s—we were finally being driven out through the main entrance.

It felt so unfamiliar it was hard to believe it had only been ten days since I entered here.

Crew in identical outfits milled about in confusion.

Most of them were still high, staggering around, clowning with impossible nonsense. Of course they weren’t even thinking about hiding.

[1000, 999, 998...]

The numbers were dropping fast.

There were a little over fifteen minutes left.

I slid down off Gwak Chan’s back and stood on my own two feet. Bare soles on the lush grass.

Right—barefoot.

We Crew had proper suits on, but no shoes.

Noticing me looking down at my feet, Gwak Chan’s gaze dropped.

“No shoes.”

His voice saying it was flat.

“Yeah. No shoes.”

I gave a bitter smile.

I raised my head and looked around. Forest on all sides, and mountains so high you couldn’t guess their depth cut us off. The air was cold and clear beyond compare thanks to that, but that was it. We weren’t ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ here for a forest bath, so the clean air was useless.

“At midnight the power will go out. Aim for that.”

Gwak Chan whispered quickly and cut across the garden. Like someone who knew where he needed to go, like he had a purpose, he ran without a moment’s hesitation.

Thanks to Park Geonwoo and Gwak Chan, I really came to my senses.

We have to escape from here. Let’s get out alive.

The resolve I’d made looking at Number 3 surged back, vivid.

This wasn’t the time to wander the garden like a zombie.

We had to wait until midnight. That was the only chance to escape.

First, find Park Geonwoo.

Park Geonwoo had been waiting for me in front of the Counseling Room. He knew in advance I’d head there. More than anything, he’d stopped me—desperately—from going inside.

Meaning Park Geonwoo also knew something.

I wanted to find out what that “something” was. And I didn’t want my last image of him to be the one of him, exhausted, who hadn’t been able to follow me out because he’d been so busy blocking me.

Until he came at me to kill me, he’d been the friend and older brother who matched me best.

The trio. Naturally, Kim Yunho came to mind too.

It would get dark soon. This might be the last chance to talk to Park Geonwoo.

I sprinted back toward the building along the same path Gwak Chan had brought me down a moment ago.

Everyone else was busy coming out, but I was busy running the opposite way.

To be honest, “running” wasn’t quite right. My mind was running, but my speed was only a little better than a fast walk.

Still, the building drew closer.

I passed back through the main gate under Security control.

A Crew just now coming down the stairs, Crew strewn across the lobby, Crew being carried by Security—pure bedlam.

Panting, fighting down the urge to vomit, I scanned the lobby. I checked faces myself in case Park Geonwoo was among the fallen.

“Park Geonwoo! Kim Yunho!”

I shouted.

“Geonwoo! Yunho!”

Calling their names as I headed up the stairs.

I stood in the middle of the second-floor lobby and looked left and right.

No one on the lodging floor.

I couldn’t see Park Geonwoo, who’d been bent over puking right in front of the Counseling Room.

Did he go out in the meantime?

Did he maybe go back to his room?

I knocked first on Park Geonwoo’s door, the closest one to the lobby.

“Geonwoo, it’s me, Jiwon. You in there?? Open up!”

Bang, bang. I pounded hard enough to break the door, but there was no answer.

He’s not here.

Sure of that, I ran to Kim Yunho’s room.

No answer from Kim Yunho either.

[877, 876, 875...]

The speaker’s countdown voice was too loud to catch signs of anyone’s presence.

I went back down the stairs and passed through the lobby again.

“Hyung... take me. Please.”

Someone grabbed my ankle and I jumped.

Han Seoho.

He’d changed clothes, but with glassy eyes and no control, he was rolling around the lobby alone.

I was about to pull my hand back, thinking the managers would take care of him on their own—

“Take me. No one’s taking care of me.”

He whined, on the verge of tears.

Never mind the managers—there wasn’t a trace of Choi Minjae or any other Crew who’d acted like they’d hand over their guts for Han Seoho.

Pathetic bastards.

I hesitated, then decided I should at least get him some fresh air.

Slack-limbed, Han Seoho was way heavier than I’d thought.

I was already wiped; trying to support Han Seoho on top of that was no joke.

Still, I took him.

“Thanks, hyung.”

Han Seoho smiled.

“No need to thank me. Once we’re outside, I’m dumping you.”

I answered coldly, hauling up Han Seoho as he kept sagging.

Was the gate always this far?

By the time I finally reached the main gate, sweat beaded my forehead.

The sky had grown darker.

It felt like the black clouds had dropped right over our heads.

The air itself was full of moisture.

Rain was certain. The question was when.

I helped Han Seoho as far from the gate as I could, then sat him down on the grass.

“Seoho. Breathe some fresh air, then go hide. Fast.”

“Heh, hyung. Thanks.”

“If you can, throw up.”

I slapped Han Seoho’s cheeks several times; his eyes were still glassy.

“Have you seen Geonwoo? What about Yunho?”

I asked the Han Seoho rubbing his cheeks.

“They went out, I think?”

“You saw them?”

“Yeah. They left me. Both of them. Pathetically.”

He grumbled.

“Together?”

“Mm. Not sure. Don’t remember that part.”

Whatever. It didn’t matter if they split up.

Anyway, going outside meant they’d breathed the same clean air I was breathing and come to. Maybe they were already hiding.

Feeling a bit lighter, I straightened up.

“Hide.”

I said it looking down at Han Seoho.

“What about you? You’re not hiding with me?”

He looked up at me with eyes full of fear and asked.

I shook my head.

Leaving the disappointed Han Seoho behind, I moved. I scanned around for Park Geonwoo and Kim Yunho. Number 3 and Choi Minjae, too.

I was sore at Number 3 for abandoning me, but he’d done his part. He’d carried me down those steep stairs when I was out of my mind.

He’d also told me to meet outside.

I searched for Park Geonwoo while also scouting places to hide.

A safe place to stay hidden until midnight.

A place that could avoid the CCTV installed on all sides.

Nothing looked right at a glance.

Scanning with my eyes for places to conceal my body and routes that would allow easy movement, I walked back toward the main entrance of the building.

I needed shoes.

At midnight, in a possible downpour, to get over those rough mountains, I absolutely needed footwear. If I couldn’t get proper shoes, I had to find even slippers.

Didn’t matter whose. The Crew had been going barefoot for days, so I decided to get a pair from staff or Security. Even if I had to overpower someone, I was going to get them, no matter what.

The number dropped under 600.

I was getting pressed.

As I tried to pass through the gate, Security blocked me.

“You may not enter.”

The tone was hard.

“Why?”

“You may not enter.”

He only repeated the same words.

The four Security guarding the entrance weren’t stopping people from going out, but they were blocking people from going in.

Haah, fuck. Now what?

As I raked my hair back, my eyes fell on the Security’s combat boots.

“Boots.”

I shouted up at the man in the black hood.

His eyes went wide.

“Give me your boots!”

When I yelled, the Security finally seemed to understand, and shot me a baffled look. His gaze lingered a moment on my bare feet, then moved on.

The numbers kept dropping. No time to hesitate.

I plopped right down on the ground and grabbed the Security’s foot. Startled, he tried to pull it back, but because I was dead set on holding on, he couldn’t. He even lost his balance and reeled. Whatever— I started untying the laces.

I kept my nerves taut in case another Security’s foot came flying, but contrary to expectation, nothing happened.

When I glanced up, the Security was staring dead ahead, and the others standing around him pretended not to see. They acted like I wasn’t there. Weird.

What the hell?

An idea flashed through my head.

They can’t lay a hand on us.

By luck, I’d figured out one of the game’s rules.

Security couldn’t touch the Crew. They were no different from NPCs in a game.

Hah!

They’re really doing it like a game.

Inwardly stunned, I stripped the boots smoothly.

I worried they’d be too small, but thankfully they fit perfectly.

Feeling like I’d gained ten thousand troops, I hurried to put on the boots and quickly cinched the laces tight.

Then I moved, to find a place to hide.

The grounds were fucking huge.

The statues set up throughout the garden were still spraying cool streams of water.

What had felt cool at first was starting to turn muggy. Standing before a statue, I washed my face in its stream and kept my eyes moving.

Between statue and statue, tree and tree, glasshouses and canopies had been installed for resting. Places for sex.

The glasshouses had doors on both sides, but enclosed spaces were dangerous. Out. The canopies, obviously, weren’t even candidates.

I pushed deeper into the woods near the fence.

The iron gates, shut tight along the wire like a forward line, now yawned wide as if inviting us in.

[No entry—private property. High-voltage electrocution hazard.]

A big sign in red warning letters on a yellow background caught the eye.

It was the sign posted in front of the gate I’d passed on the first day.

If I go this way, does it lead outside?

Doubtful. They weren’t going to let us out that easily.

I turned my head right.

Following the wire toward the building, there was a path as well.

I looked at the forest behind the building. Wherever this was, it was at least mid-mountain. It might even be near the peak, but since I couldn’t see the top, it was hard to tell.

Left or right. I stood at a fork.

The red eyes of the CCTV followed whenever I moved.

If the seekers could see the CCTV, the game was absolutely unfavorable to us.

Would the person who started this game want a fair game?

From the start, was what he wanted the same as what he’d wanted from his games so far?

[378, 377, 376....]

I stared into the red eye.

My instincts warned me there really wasn’t any time, that I had to hide somewhere now.

“Jiwon!”

I turned my head toward the voice.